HM Cutter Cheerful 1806 by Blue Ensign - FINISHED - Syren Ship Model Company - 1:48 scale

[Seventynet]

Very clever to pre-bend the strakes between the gun ports BE. Wish I'd thought of that.

Ian

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you, Mike, Kurt, and Ian. 

@ Kurt - trialling is always a good idea but I tend to favour the boxwood sawdust/ pva mix for filling between the strakes.

 

[Rustyj]

Hi BE,

 

Your planking looks really good. The height at the stern looked good too. I went back and looked at my old

pictures and we have about the same distance from the top of the last plank to the top of the stern frame.

 

Also there is a curve to the transom so I think you will be all set!

[Blue Ensign]

Cheers Rusty, that’s reassuring to note. 

 

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Post 18

Completion of Topside planking

Planking between the ports is now completed, looking a little rough but hopefully scraping and sanding will rectify the appearance.

6744

6763

6766

I think I will wait until the stern area is planked before doing any serious cleaning up along the hull.

Onto the stern.

 

B.E.

13/03/2018

 

[Mirabell61]

Very nice progress B.E.,

 

thats a good looking tone of the planking...

 

Nils

[Beef Wellington]

Looking good BE.  Looks like I'm a bit too late, but one thing I found  that works quite well for planking between the ports is to edge glue some planks together for the height needed and then shape/trim these back as a whole.  This allows the interior edge to be nicely aligned. without needed to scuff up any paint.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Beef Wellington

[Kurt Johnson]

BE,

 

Progressing nicely. 

 

Kurt

[Blue Ensign]

Cheers Guys, 

@ Jason - I noted that Bob used that method in his Cheerful build, and a very nice job he did.

Somehow, for no clearly defined reason I can offer, I felt more comfortable planking as I went along.

Post 19

Reducing the outer stern frames.(zz)

I approached this job with not a little trepidation, no change there, I always feel edgy in the early stages of a build.

6773

I made 3mm and 1.5mm thick shields to protect the planking and provide guides for the reduction of the frames.

6771

I was reluctant to use my mini rotary tool lest a slip did some serious damage particularly to those fragile stern frames. I used a combination of mini saw blades, scalpels and sanding sticks to gradually reduce the outer frames.

6772

Slow progress but less risky, still a way to go yet.

6834

I also thought it easier to sand down the aftermost bulkhead frame extensions at this point whilst I had access between the stern frames.

6829

1/16th" (1.6mm) seems a very fine depth to thin the frames to, here they are at 1.9mm and I'm getting close to my level of confidence.

6827

 Boards temporarily glued to assess the look of the bulwark  thickness. I think I can go a little further but not very much.

I now need to consider the planking of the stern.

 

B.E.

15/03/2018

 

 

 

[Seventynet]

Hi B.E.,

 

Looking good. I don't know if you'd want to consider using your Amati stand for hull planking. I did and it made life simple. I glued and braced some strips to the false keel. A little work cutting them out when I'm through but the cost benefit is there for me.

 

Ian

[Blue Ensign]

That's a very good idea Ian, and your Cheerful  looks in splendid shape.

 

Regards,

 

B.E.

[Kurt Johnson]

Ian,

 

I like the idea of using the Amati stand the way you had. I will definitely give it a try.

 

B.E.,

 

I will be thinning the stern frames over the weekend. I don't intend to use my rotary either. Things can happen too easily and way too quickly! I think I might fill in a lot of the area between the bulwark extensions with some 1/16 inch basswood stock running vertically. That should strengthen up the bulwarks quite a lot. Especially when covered over with the internal planking. Probably overkill, but it will make me feel good.

 

Kurt.

 

[Chuck]

You guys will be so surprised how strong that is going to be after the stern is all planked up.   But I would refrain from sanding all of the top timbers of the bulkheads down until after the entire hull is planked.  Just the stern frames will be sufficient.

 

Chuck

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Post 20

Planking the stern

6860

Starting with the lowest counter plank (3/16th" strip) water/heat was used to form the quite pronounced curve required.

6916

I found holding this first plank in place whilst gluing quite tricky,  and an early stage set back occurred when a spring clamp flew off and snapped one of the inner stern frames.

6913

No too difficult to repair with braces added either side of the break, but an unsettling moment nonetheless.

6917

Once the first plank is fixed the following planks go on without too much trouble, totalling seven strakes up to the break with the transom.

The final plank below the transom required a slightly greater width, I used 7/32" which was then sanded down to suit, and the 1/16" moulding strip attached.

 

The Transom

Planking the transom should take four strakes, I shaped the first two planks insitu to get the curve, and then sectioned them to fit between the ports.

6925

The third plank has to be rebated to fit over the ports, a job done slowly using a scalpel.

7145

For reasons I can't fathom even a 7/32" plank was a fraction short to reach the top of the central stern frames so it was necessary to add a 1/16" strip above the third plank.

7142

Hmmn, seem to have too much sill showing at the bottom of ports, will leave it for the present but may need to infill with a  narrow strip.

7143

At this point I also started to define the camber aft of the last bulkhead.

All still looking a bit rough at present, but I'll move onto the fashion pieces before I clean things up.

 

B.E.

25/03/2018

 

 

[Kurt Johnson]

Coming along very nicely.  I had the counter planked minus one plank and a clamp sprung setting off a chain reaction with the other clamps. They completely destroyed the counter. One of the stern frames cracked too. Everything had to come off. Hope the second time goes better. Still it’s a enjoyable build.

 

Kurt

[davyboy]

Hi B.E. She is coming on nicely. I did what Kurt mentioned,vertically planked between the bulwark extensions with 1/16" limewood. Makes sanding the extensions to the right thickness easy,adds strength plus giving a good base for glueing on the inner planking. Keep up the good work 

 

Dave  

[Blue Ensign]

Cheers Kurt and Dave, I think I will follow suit and line between the bulkheads, I wasn’t looking forward to thinning down those bulkhead extensions and having a firm line to work to makes good sense. 🙂

B.E.

[Tigersteve]

Coming along nicely. 

Steve

[Gahm]

Clean and precise planking job - very well done B.E.!

 

Thomas

[Blue Ensign]

Post 21

Fashion Pieces.

7236

I followed Chuck's method of tracing the outline onto card to form a template of the Fashion pieces.

7243

Even so I found they needed some tweaking to fit the actual profile on the model, and a little water/heat bending around a shallow curve to match the contour of the hull.

7246

Bamboo tree nails were used to further secure the Fashion pieces.

7247

The instructions call for the back edge of the fashion piece to overhang the transom by 1/32" (0.8mm) I used a short length of the second layer wale planking as a guide.

7252

Completed bar the sanding

7254

So what d'ye think Gromit?

 

........Movin' on

 

B.E.

28/03/2018

 

[rafine]

Looking good B.E. All  being done with your usual care and precision.

 

Bob

[Kurt Johnson]

I can’t wait for the deck structures and fittings to see what B.E. flourishes are done to her. I’m trying to figure how I’ll clamp the second layer of the wales since I want to try placing the 2 planks below it first. Boxwood isn’t best wood gluing so I’ll probably use bamboo treenails for security (especially since it will be painted). Right now I’m still fusing with the counter.

 

Kurt

 

[Blue Ensign]

Thanks Bob and Kurt, and to those who have given me 'likes' 

I'm also going to fit the two strakes and drop plank below the wale before I add the second wale layer. I don't think you will have trouble clamping the wales Kurt as clamps fit easily between the bulkheads to hold them in place.

I suspect holding the planks below the wales may present a greater problem.

I will fit the plank immediately below the wale (the one that stops at b/h J); as Chuck mentions this tapers from b/h B to 5/64", to meet the drop plank, but otherwise remains at the full width of 3/16".

I intend to mostly fit the strakes in full lengths and mark the butt joints once dry fitted.

 

B.E.

 

 

[Kurt Johnson]

B.E.,

 

I understand why you would want to run continuous planks the length of the ship and score them. I personally like the subtle changes between the way planks appear from one another when they’re made from wood cut from either a different board or area of a board. They kind of equalize their tone with time, but are just enough different to be noticed as individual. And definitely done randomly without pattern. Just my taste. I would maybe stain a section, if I thought it could be controlled or contained to that area. I’m also not sure if I could get a single plank to have a consistently tight joint along the entire length with it’s to the neighbor north and south.  Treenails, I’m going to have to experiment with. With them I’m not sure I could control where they end up and not have the pattern they would require. Especially when there’s a zillion of them! I think I’d get very frustrated ( and very cranky). I had bought Holly for my decking, but I want to see what Alaskan Yellow Cedar looks like. ( blame Chuck) It again, might be more subtle. I’m just rambling on.

 

Your’s in utmost subtlety,

 

Kurt 

[Old Collingwood]

Lovely precise work,  its amazing how we all start with pices of wood and end up creating something of beauty.

 

OC.

[Blue Ensign]

Hi Kurt I couldn't quite see from the photo's posted in other logs whether the individual plank method had been used as all the photo's seemed to show completed strakes.

Did most other builders of Cheerful use the separate plank method?

You got me thinking about control of long lengths re tight joints so I think I will at least do the first strake on this basis and see how it goes. It is fronted by the drop plank anyway.

 

Thanks OC, it is early days yet and the jury is still out on whether a thing of beauty will be created, I certainly hope so. 

 

B.E.

[Kurt Johnson]

B.E.  No one mentioned that they hadn’t planked the hulls with individual planks so it would only be an assumption that they hadn’t. Assumptions are a poor things to depend on. Each end of a individual plank run has different widths than the center, being narrower or wider. I think it would be pure luck to get both ends correct at the same time with my abilities and I would have a pretty large scrap pile very fast. Boxwood has become very expensive on my side of the pond. I think it would greatly increase my chances of not completing the model. That’s just my logic which has been known to be wrong at times (many).

 

Kurt

[davyboy]

Hi BE, I planked my model with individual plank lengths as shown in the plans. I find it's easier to get a good fit between adjoining plank strakes doing it this way using scale lengths. My model is built using Pearwood and European Boxwood,the deck planked with Birch. Just finished making the chainplates today (the second attempt,don't ask why) As always,keep up the good work.

 

Dave 

 

[Kurt Johnson]

Davyboy, Any pictures?

 

Kurt

[Erik W]

I also used individual planks.  I'm a perfectionist, so planking the hull wound up taking quite a while.  I'd do 1 or 2 planks a day after work, and 3 or 4 on the weekends.  I started getting sloppy if I tried to do any more than that.  Patience is key.  As far as the plank ends go.  I would mark out on the bulkhead the center point of each plank end and make sure the plank's end was perfectly vertical on the bulkhead (with the curvature of the hull this usually means the end is not square with the plank length).  Sand lightly, test fit, repeat.  The key for square/tight looking plank ends was that test fitting part.  If there's a bit of a gap, sand lightly, test fit, repeat.  Again, patience is key.  This hobby in general vs. other's I have, has really taught me the value of going slow!

 

Erik